


Works of Art

by LemonNinjaa



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Photographs, Starbucks, The Amazing Tour Is Not on Fire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 13:15:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7716136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LemonNinjaa/pseuds/LemonNinjaa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes Dan does things just for the aesthetic, but sometimes it's because he genuinely wants to. Love as a series of photographs, taken by Dan Howell, featuring Phil Lester all over the United States (and Canada).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Works of Art

**Author's Note:**

> Picking a fandom for works about Youtubers is odd and feels ambiguous...

            Dan, lounging in his sofa crease, idly flits between apps on his phone. The house is silent; Phil has gone on a Starbucks run for the both of them even in the ridiculous heat, just for the purpose of trying a new drink. (Phil’s tenacity is truly something to be applauded.) He briefly contemplates downloading a random app to amuse himself but decides against it, just because that’s a level of commitment he doesn’t feel like making right now. It’s too hot; he laments Europe’s lack of air conditioning units once again as more warm air from the open window hits him. His shirt is pulled up to show his stomach and he’s wearing shorts, but it’s still too hot to do anything.

            He finds himself opening his camera roll, wondering what kind of odd things will be in there. _How many failed selfies_ , he wonders. He quickly scrolls by those, too sweaty and lazy to laugh at himself. He stops to appreciate the aesthetic of a photo of Phil’s wilted houseplant, of the London sunrise when the jet lag was stabbing him in the eyes, and then he gets to the pictures he took while in the United States for TATINOF.

            Obviously, there are some shots of Starbucks drinks, there’s a series of photos that serve as a quick bus tour, some more sunrises, notable places of interest, some cute selfies of both him and Phil…

            Dan smiles at the photo of Phil pulling him towards something he was probably insanely excited about. It could’ve been a national landmark, a pretty tree, or even just a small dog across the street. The photo was probably taken somewhere in the central states judging by the timestamp; Dan can’t tell where exactly from the vague city background, but there’s Phil’s pale hand reaching out behind him, tugging Dan along by the hand. It’s like that viral photoset of that one guy who took photos of his girlfriend “leading” him around the world by the hand. It was sweet but kind of cheesy when Dan first saw it, but throughout the whole tour Dan had found himself quietly taking similar photos whenever Phil enthusiastically took charge.

            _It means a lot more when it’s somebody you know and love_ , Dan thinks, thumbing through his camera roll for more photos like that one. Phil’s bright shirts always seem to glow against the city greys and desert browns, as if he could always outshine anything else nature could ever arrange. _I could never forget that Phil himself is a work of natural art,_ Dan thought half-wryly, half-sincerely to himself. A shot of Phil’s back with Niagara Falls in the background proves it; the flimsy translucent red poncho thrown over his grey owl jumper in contrast with the vivid greens and blues of the waterfall in the background feels like a rainbow nature had crafted just for Dan’s eyes. In another photo, Phil’s broad shoulders in a white shirt feels like the whole purpose of the picture. Dan can see from his own bare arm that it must have been a very hot city or at least a very hot day; the huge iguana in the background leads him to think that it’s somewhere in Florida.

            Dan smiles fondly at the pictures, knowing that Phil has no idea that he’s even taken them, unless he’s checked the camera roll while borrowing Dan’s phone when he’s too lazy to get up to find his own. It sort of feels like being in a museum of copies of lost art; everything is so beautiful but you know none of it could compare to the real thing.

            The sound of the front door opening spurs Dan to quickly close out of his camera roll, and he hears Phil yell as he rushes through the flat towards him: “Dan! It’s so good! Also I know you normally get a caramel macchiato but I really think you’d like this! It’s still a caramel macchiato but instead of vanilla syrup it’s with raspberry syrup! I saw a post about it online and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but I figured we could both try new things!”

            Phil appears in the doorway holding two drinks, one of them a brown-to-pink gradient and the other lavender. His eyes are sparkling even though his hair is matted to his forehead with sweat, and his cheeks are more violently red than a rosy flush but Dan feels like it’s an accurate representation of how he feels about Phil, all intense passion that flows like blood and feels like living. Dan becomes aware that he’s staring wide-eyed at Phil when he sees his smile has changed from radiantly excited to fond and he’s lowered his hands clutching their drinks. Phil clearly notices that Dan has snapped back to reality and he walks closer, holding the brown-to-pink drink out to him.

            “What’s this, now?” Dan asks, hyperaware of the blush that’s burning his cheeks.

            “It’s a raspberry caramel macchiato! I got some kind of blackberry passion iced tea thing with vanilla syrup? I read about them and thought that we’ve done so many new things because of TATINOF that we may as well try one more new thing before we settle back into our UK life!”  

            Dan hums in acknowledgment and takes a sip of the drink, not sure what to expect, but is pleasantly surprised at the flavour. Phil, who was watching intently, reads his expression correctly and grins proudly before taking a sip of his own drink.

            “I’m glad you like it! Maybe this will become your new favourite?” Phil teases, knowing that Dan is a creature of habit.

            Dan sputters in mock disbelief as Phil puts his own drink down and leaves the room. Dan yells after him, “What? Of course not, caramel macchiatos are the best! I’ll have you know that the original is what’s on the menu and it’s there for a reason!” He hears Phil laugh and then yell back, “Sure, but how does anything ever get invented if people just rely on what’s already in existence?”  

            Dan snorts loudly so Phil can hear him, and waits for him to come back. Phil, now looking more refreshed in a new shirt, puts his sticker-covered laptop down on the coffee table before picking up his drink and walking back across the room.

            “What are you doing, you spoon? How can you even bother to move so much in this hellish weather?” Dan whines a little, feeling hot just by watching Phil exert effort.

            “I’m doing it for the aesthetic,” Phil cheekily responds, placing his drink on the windowsill and slipping his phone out of his pocket.

            Dan is suddenly struck by the inspiration to take another photo, even though they’re across the room from each other and Phil isn’t physically leading him forward. He lines up the shot so that Phil’s bright blue t-shirt doesn’t block the lavender drink in the background before locking his phone again, pretending he’d never moved in the first place both because of the heat and so that Phil doesn’t wonder what he was doing. Phil always leads him forward, even if it’s not physically taking him somewhere. Dan knows he’d never have tried a new drink if Phil hadn’t made that decision for him, he’d never have moved to Manchester or London or done any of the things he has without Phil there to guide him. He suddenly can’t wait for Phil to sit down next to him, to hold Phil’s hand, even to see his face again when it’s only been a few seconds since he turned away with his drink. Dan knows that this isn’t the last picture he’ll ever take of Phil taking him somewhere new, because if Dan’s heart is the tinder then Phil’s eyes are the flint, and once a fire is lit it never stops moving.

**Author's Note:**

> I guess you could say danisnotonfire unless Phil is there lmaooo ;)


End file.
